REPORT: Cavs, Heat Both Deep In Jimmy Butler Trade Talks

Jimmy Butler could be on the move soon. Despite multiple conflicting reports concerning the Minnesota Timberwolves’ intentions, the momentum is leaning heavily towards trading the 29-year-old four-time All-Star.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said early on Sunday that the Miami Heat were the most aggressive team in their pursuit of Butler:

But earlier in the day another bomb Woj dropped that was just as interesting:

Butler would likely be a fit with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s defense-first style, but Miami was not on his initial list of preferred destinations. Still, a deal that included Justise Winslow and high-upside talents like Bam Adebayo and Josh Richardson might tempt the Timberwolves. All three players are relatively cheap and Winslow desperately needs a change of scenery.

As for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the idea would clearly be to pair Butler and Kevin Love, and ideally switch from semi-rebuilding to reloading. A deal between Cleveland and Minnesota would be much more difficult to figure out largely due to the number of bad contracts the Cavs have. Larry Nance Jr., George Hill, Cedi Osman, Ante Zizic and rookie Collin Sexton are the only players that would possibly tempt Minnesota. And they aren’t all that attractive.

Still, if draft picks are involved some package of the above players could move the needle for the Timberwolves if they are sure Butler won’t sign an extension to remain.

Obviously other teams remain interested in Butler but, as of now, Miami and Cleveland are chasing the hardest.